Roma Salad with Caper-Dill Vinaigrette

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. The following content is intended for readers who are 21 and older. #CookingWithCoke #CollectiveBias. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me creative in my tiny kitchen!

Fall is sneaking up on us here in New York, and one of the most exciting things to come to town is the Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine and Food Festival presented by Coca-Cola™.

I’ve been to NYCWFF in the past, and it is a phenomenally fun experience! I was able to taste food prepared by some of my favorite celebrity chefs, and got to meet lots of them, too. It’s an event that I highly recommend to anyone who is able to attend.

But it’s not just for locals! I’m thrilled to announce that Big Flavors readers have a chance to enter a sweepstakes to be able to attend the delicious festivities this October in NYC.

Not only that, the Grand Prize winner gets travel and lodging for 6, 6 one-day access tickets to the event on October 15, 2017, and the winner will have the opportunity to take center stage with celebrity chef Scott Conant at the Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival’s Grand Tasting!

The winner will be selected on, or around September 18, 2017. Entering is easy – simply text the keyword SHOPRITE to the short code 26739 between October 12-15th. You can also head here to enter.

I would be so thrilled if one of my readers won this prize. Travel and lodging in NYC isn’t cheap, and the NYCWFF experience is fabulous, so this prize is pretty epic. Good luck, everyone!

Speaking of ShopRite®, I headed over to a local (and newly renovated!) ShopRite store recently to stock up on supplies to make a quick, delicious meal.

My family absolutely LOVES fried chicken. It’s a meal that’s requested often. And while I do make my own on occasion, we’ve come to find that the grocery store has some really tasty fried chicken that’s fresh fried and ready to go (and doesn’t involve me busting out my cast iron dutch oven for deep frying).

I love that I can find ShopRite fried chicken both hot or already cooled down and refrigerated. That way I can pick up what’s best for my meal plan – hot if we’re going to be eating it right away or cold if I’m planning to heat it up later on or the next day.

In my local store, there are 2 areas next to the produce section near the deli that have ShopRite Kitchen fresh fried 8-piece chicken – one that’s heated, next to the rotisserie chicken, and one that’s refrigerated. I actually called my local store to see what time of day the chicken goes out, for times when I want the freshest fried chicken. For this area, it’s 10-10:30am.

This time around, I knew I wasn’t going to be reheating it until the following evening, so I went ahead and bought a chilled package.

I made a pit stop over at the soda aisle to pick up someDiet Coke® to go with the chicken.

To round out the meal, I put together a quick, flavorful salad inspired by one that I enjoy over at a local tea house. Their Roma Salad is a mix of lettuces topped with a combination of chickpeas, corn, black beans, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and a dill vinaigrette.

There’s something about that specific combination of toppings along with the tangy vinaigrette that works so beautifully together. And it’s super easy to make a similar salad at home!

I used capers in my vinaigrette to get the tanginess, and it was a little different than the one at the tea house, but it was equally delicious. And I love that I can just open a few cans, rinse and drain them, and top my salad.

You can buy already julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes or halves that you can then cut into strips yourself. I usually buy the halves so I have the option to cut or not cut them, depending on what I’m making.

Cutting them into strips for this salad is definitely the way to go. The way the sweetness plays off of the salty feta and tangy capers is really nice here.

The vinaigrette is super simple to put together, too. It’s only 5 ingredients (6 if you count the black pepper). It’s made with pantry staples and is a really nice change of pace from standard salad dressings.

I happen to adore capers – they’re so briny and delicious. The vinaigrette is pretty tangy, so a little goes a long way.

I have plans to make another similar vinaigrette soon that’s more dill-y than caper-y, too. It’s all about options to keep salads interesting!

While I used this salad as a side dish, the addition of hearty toppings makes it a filling vegetarian meal option as well.

This meal was a huge hit with my family! I put the salad together while I reheated the chicken in the oven. And I had time to spare.

Have I mentioned that my husband is a master of reheating food? Seriously. It’s a legit skill. We’re actually considering starting a series here on Big Flavors dedicated to properly reheating leftovers.

There’s nothing more sad than ruining a perfectly good meal by making it all soggy in the microwave. Or reheating it for too long and ending up with dried out bits.

Our go-to method is to let the chicken come to room temperature. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack (or grease/line with foil). For dark meat, bake at 400°F for 8-12 minutes, flipping halfway through if you aren’t using a baking rack.

The skin will be nice and crispy and the meat will still be juicy and tender.

If you’re reheating white meat, 15 minutes should do the trick.

Letting the chicken come to room temperature before reheating is ideal and definitely worth the extra time, because it’ll ensure the chicken gets fully heated through without overcooking.

That crispy skin is so key for the fried chicken experience – don’t rush it, guys!

But if you do decide to go straight from the fridge, lower the oven temperature to 375°F and cook it a little longer. It won’t be quite as crisp, but it’ll still be delicious.

What do you like to serve with your fried chicken? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!

Be sure to catch other ShopRite and Coca-Cola bundles that are in stores now. Need to find a ShopRite store near you? Check out their store locator here.

Add a 16oz Coca-Cola™ or 20oz FUZE Fusions® for .50¢ when you buy a 11.25-11.75oz Ready Pac Multi-Serve Salad in a single transaction with your Shoprite PRICE PLUS® Club card between 8/27/17 – 12/31/17 while supplies last. Taxes and Deposits Extra where Applicable.

Instructions

For Caper-Dill Vinaigrette: With the food processor running, drop the whole cloves of garlic down the feed chute. Allow it to run until they’re chopped nice and small. Alternately, you could mince them by hand, but this method is really easy! Add capers, brine, dijon, dried dill, and pepper, and process until chopped. With the motor running, slowly stream the oil down through the feed chute and continue to process until the mixture emulsifies. Makes about 1 cup.

For Salad: Place salad greens in a large bowl and top with sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, black beans, corn, and feta. Serve with Caper-Dill Vinaigrette alongside.

I totally need some lessons on re-heating food. I’m the worst at it. You should definitely have the hubby guest write a post for that. As for chopping the garlic in the food processor. . .well. . .I’ve never done that either. I have a heavy duty garlic press that I use. As a matter of fact, it probably is one of my most used kitchen items.

BTW. . .this salad looks delicious. It’s full of so many of my favorite ingredients. And homemade vinaigrette is the best.

I’ve never owned a garlic press! I always wondered if they’d be annoying to clean. But we do use a LOT of garlic in my house – I joke that I married an Italian so I’d have an excuse to use it more often ;). Hope you enjoy the salad if you give it a shot!

Jessica Pinney

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About Ashley Covelli

I’m the food writer, recipe developer + photographer behind Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen. I am dedicated to helping you (yes, you!) find your next favorite recipe. My goal is to encourage you to cook delicious food at home no matter what your skill level.